Alistair Graymark II
Alistair Graymark (b. 3 January 1910) was a blood witch and headmaster of the Pendragon Institute of Witchcraft. He was the husband of Celestina Applebottom and father of Niam Graymark, grandfather of Alexander Graymark, and great-grandfather of Alexander's six children. All of his family was murdered early on in the war by Lord Azrael, deeply affecting him and cementing his hatred toward the Ring. He was a well-known supporter of Typicals and Scants, and has been highly regarded as one of the greatest witches of all time. Alistair was the leader of the resistance against Azrael and the Ring, dubbing the organization "Windigo", after the creature, which preys only on evil. Due to his wit and legendary power, Alistair was the only witch Azrael truly feared, and as such became a main target for assassination. Biography Early life Alistair was born January 3, 1910 to Alistair Graymark and Cytherea Goldsmith as their second child, after his elder sister Alexandria. Alistair was named after his father, and his sister shared the name of their paternal aunt who died in infancy. The Graymarks were descendants of the Pendragon and Griffbyrne families, and had been known to produce powerful witches. Their surname came from their distinct gray birthmarks in the shape of a crescent. Alistair bore his on his throat. Alistair's childhood was fairly normal until he was about seven years old. He awoke in the early hours of the morning to his father pinning a stranger on top of him. His father attempted to kill the man with a knife, but only managed to injure his hand. His father was arrested by Typical law enforcement, and he never saw his father again. After his father's imprisonment, Alistair's mother took to seeing several men and leaving her children alone in public. Alistair claims one of his earliest memories is falling asleep in a booth in a bar, waiting for his mother's "special friend" to arrive. He and Alexandria were often left in movie theatres for entire days. One afternoon, after returning home from school, Alistair and Alexandria found their house empty, with no signs of their mother's whereabouts. They waited for about a week for their mother to return, but she never did. Alistair and Alexandria took to roaming the countryside, relying upon each other for sustenance. At some point, Alistair worked as a pinsetter at a bowling alley where he and Alexandria slept in the attic. Pendragon Institute At age thirteen, Alistair applied to the Pendragon Institute, though he did not expect to be accepted. He was accepted, and the costs of his tuition and school supplies were covered by the school. He and Alexandria moved to Avalon, where they were recognized as grandchildren of Galen Graymark, who was apparently a well-respected witch, and lived with him and their grandmother Guinevere at the Graymark mansion. However, as Alistair and Alexandria's living conditions seemed to improve, the siblings grew increasingly distant and even hostile. Alexandria was punished severely by her grandparents for hurting her brother on several occasions, using both Typical means and magick. While at the Institute, Alistair was placed into Griffbyrne coven. Rumor quickly spread about his father's imprisonment and his mother's disappearance, and Alistair was initially very unpopular. He did manage to befriend Lonnie Swiftbrum, who was generally awkward and ridiculed by the student body. Alistair became known for his uncommon kindness, and later befriended several other students, including Thomas Chiswick, Erebus Townsend, and Marcella Blankley. He learned to teleport a few years earlier than his peers, and published several papers during his time at the Institute. One winter, Lonnie attempted to convince Alistair to teleport him so he could go on a date, saying that he was the only one left at the Institute capable of doing so. Alistair initially refused, but when Lonnie returned more desperate than before, he convinced him to send his date a fire message to bring a friend along for Alistair to meet. The girl Alistair went with was named Celestina Applebottom, and he was immediately smitten with her. The pair continued to date throughout their time at the Institute. During his final year at the Institute, Alistair invented a spell that created a permanent tear in space and time that allowed one to teleport to and from a set location. Calling it a portal, Alistair presented his spell to the International Council of Witches, who took to glamouring and warding the island of Avalon so that it was not accessible or even visible to Typicals. Portals became the only way to and from Avalon, and were scattered throughout the world. Alistair graduated from the Institute at the top of his class, and having won several awards for his papers and spells. He was also the leader of the Student Council and a youth representative to the Council. Marriage and family life Alistair and Celestina were married around 1930, when he graduated from the Institute. The couple were extremely happy together, though their marriage was not without troubles; Celestina miscarried several times, causing the couple much grief. Upon the death of Galen in 1934, Alistair inherited the Graymark mansion and much of his grandfather's fortune. His grandmother Guinevere remained at the mansion under Alistair and Celestina's care. Sometime before 1944, Alistair and Celestina were visited by Alistair's sister. An argument erupted between Alexandria and Celestina, ending with Alexandria threatening to kill her brother's wife. Alistair immediately stepped between them, demanding that Alexandria leave and never return. Before parting, she warned Alistair that she would come back not only for him, but the entire world. Alistair and Celestina's only child, Niam, was born in 1944. Alistair began teaching his son in the ways of magick from a young age. Early career at Pendragon Institute and the Great Graymark Duel At some point, Alistair returned to the Pendragon Institute to teach. Burdened by the secret knowledge of his sister's imminent rise to power, it was natural, perhaps, that he was drawn to the position of Curses and Counter-Curses instructor, a position in which he could most easily prepare his charges for the dangers he knew would one day come. During his time at the Institute, Alistair maintained and developed close friendships with witches throughout the world, communicating with them through the use of enchanted books and fire messages. The Council was wary of these relationships, believing that he used these contacts as spies to allow him to act as an independent authority to theirs, and maintained a close watch on Alistair and his allies. Chief among Alistair's rivals within the Council was Osran Periculum, the head of the Committee of Moronoe, who never tried to hide his dislike for the Institute teacher. However, as as Alistair was educating young witches, his sister was still at large, terrorizing the world through the use of her brother's portal spell. Alistair feared facing his sister, not because he thought he couldn't defeat her, but because she was the only remnant of his childhood remaining. Eventually, his wife convinced him to track down his sister. Upon finding her in 1969, the pair dueled in what would become known as the Great Graymark duel, considered by many to be the most legendary duel ever fought. Alistair ultimately defeated his sister and brought her before the Council, only for her to be executed. Alistair was enraged by the decision, though he was hailed as a hero for defeating what was then considered to be the greatest dark witch of all time. Aftermath Resuming his career after the legendary duel, Alistair taught several other students over the years, some of whom would become staunchly loyal to him and what he stood for, while others would become his enemies. During this time, he was offered the position of Chairman of the Council several times, which he turned down each time. He was appointed as Headmaster of the Institute around the same time. When Mathias Noble began attending the Institute in 1984, Alistair alone was not charmed by the boy's natural charisma and cunning. In their first encounter, Alistair became immediately suspicious of his obvious tendency toward cruelty, secrecy, and domination, and resolved to keep a close eye on him during his studies at the school. As Alistair was not so easily taken in by his charming facade, Mathias came to despise and fear him. Alistair also took special interest in Eve Dearborn, the youngest daughter of his colleague Opal Dearborn, tutoring her in magick and becoming close friends during her time at the Institute. War of the Ring When Lord Azrael began his rise to power in the 1990s, Alistair and Eve founded Windigo, a secret organization of witches willing to risk their lives to fight Azrael and the Ring. Azrael used Eve's position in the Council to his advantage, and helped her become a contender for the place of Chairman following the death of Reginald Paderborn, though she turned down the position. Alistair fought in the Battle of the Hall of Myrddin, though his duel with Azrael was interrupted with Eve, who then attempted to duel Azrael herself. However, he fled after she revealed her identity, causing Alistair to become suspicious. When Alistair learned that Eve had married Mathias Noble, he attempted to tell her of his suspicions; that he was in fact, Lord Azrael. When Eve returned to Avalon heartbroken and pregnant, Alistair kept her safe at a clandestine cottage that was heavily glamoured, warded, and protected by witchhunters and members of Windigo. After the birth of Eve's daughter, they arranged for the child to be sent to live with Alexander and Ramona Graymark, for Eve trusted her family above all else. Eve forsaw Azrael coming for her and the child in July of 1998, and surrendered her child to Alistair before being killed. Following Eve's death, it was believed that Lord Azrael had killed his wife and child before being overcome with grief and killing himself. Alistair did not believe that Azrael had died, and continued to protect Eve's daughter as well as several other at-risk targets, such as Ignatius Turtledove, who betrayed the Ring due to his loyalty to Eve. Physical appearance Alistair Graymark was tall and willowy, with silver hair and beard (black in his youth) that often resembled that of Merlin. He had a long, crooked nose and long, bony fingers. His eyes were a brilliant blue color, known for their intensity. His face is lined with deep wrinkles, and his ears are large and stick out from his head like small wings. Despite being considered kind and somewhat mischievous, Alistair was a terrifying force when angry. His face was said to be the perfect portrait of unbridled rage, and his eyes would become soul-piercing. Alistair was known for wearing colorful cloaks and robes, though his favorite was indigo in color, a nod to Merlin's own cloak and the organization he co-founded, Windigo. He also wore small glasses that balanced on the bridge of his long nose. Etymology Alistair is an Anglicized form of the Scottish name Alasdair, itself a form of the name Alexander. Alexander is a Latinized form of the Greek nae "Alexandros", which meant "defending men", derived from Greek "alexo", meaning "to defend, help", and "aner", meaning "man". Appearances * ''Old Magick'' * ''White Magick'' * ''Faerie Magick'' * ''Blood Magick'' * ''Love Magick'' * ''Eve of Darkness'' Category:1911 births Category:Centenarians Category:Graymark family Category:Pendragon family descendants Category:Windigo Category:Griffbyrnes Category:Blood witches Category:Males Category:Portraits Category:Spellwriters Category:Curses and Counter-Curses department Category:Curses & Counter-Curses teachers Category:Widowed characters Category:Institute Headmasters